After dropping 11 spots in the AP poll to 13, Florida State looks to bounce back against in-state opponent South Florida. The Bulls are off to a 3-0 start for the first time under head coach Willie Taggart.

USF has what some experts are calling an NFL-ready running back in Marlon Mack, who is averaging close to 10 yards per rush attempt. With Josh Sweat ruled out due to a minor knee surgery and Derwin James still recovering from a surgery of his own, it’ll be interesting to see how defensive coordinator schemes to contain Mack. After failing to do anything to stop Lamar Jackson, FSU’s defense is facing yet another dual-threat quarterback in Quinton Flowers. Flowers has not only thrown for 716 yards through two games, but he’s also rushed for 150 yards, averaging 4.8 yards per carry.

On the offensive side of the ball, Dalvin Cook continues his struggles after rushing for just 56 yards on 16 attempts Louisville. While the question looms about Cook’s health, Cook ran for 266 yards in his last match up with USF last year. Backup running back Jacques has looked good in the limited attempts he’s received this year. If Cook continues to perform the way he has this year, expect to see a few more rushes for the sophomore back. As for the offensive line, Landon Dickerson is starting at right guard while both Rick Leonard and Brock Ruble will make appearances at right tackle.

Redshirt freshmen Deondre Francois has had a good season thus far, completing 63.7% of his throws with a passer rating of 143.6. If the offensive line can keep Francois off his back, something they’ve been unable to do so far, Francois should exploit the secondary of USF. FSU fans might be getting some more looks at sophomore wide receiver Auden Tate. Tate has 3 TD snags in as many games, proving to be a good target for Francios and a nice complement to the smaller guys like Kermit Whitfield and Bobo Wilson.

Another key factor in this game is the fact FSU will be playing their fourth game in 19 days, three in a row that are noon kickoffs. That south Florida heat can be pretty brutal this time of year, so that could heavily influence this game, too.

Will FSU bounce back against USF after their disastrous week three? Will Dalvin Cook return to his last season? Will someone in FSU’s secondary step up with the absence of Derwin James? Is this the game that propels USF into top 25 talks? That will all be revealed Saturday afternoon.

PREDICTION

Rob: I don’t know. I really don’t. This could be a 3 score victory for FSU and it could also be a three score loss. It’s tough to gauge where a team is and make a prediction after a game like Louisville, but I’ll go ahead and say FSU wins 37-23. I have zero confidence in this pick, and it will remain the same until they prove to me otherwise.

Ariya Massoudi: This is the best USF has been in a few years. The Seminoles are reeling after an embarrassing loss and the Bulls will treat the match up with FSU as "Super Bowl". Many players on USF's roster were not recruited by FSU and thus will have an extra chip on their shoulders when facing the Seminoles this weekend. That being said, this game is about FSU, not USF. IF the Seminoles can come out and play inspired, discliplined football, then they should find a way to win. However, if not, the Bulls are more than capable of a major upset in the state of Florida. I'd like to think FSU has the leaders to bounce back and get the season on track again, but this won't be an easy game. FSU 34 USF 27.